The scene being shot at the time of Vic Morrow's fatal accident was added to the script late in the filming in an attempt to "soften" his bigoted character Bill Connor, and give him some redemption: while fleeing from an American helicopter attack on a deserted Vietnamese village, he sees two orphaned children. Bill decides to save them no matter what the cost, so he carries them under his arms and wades through the river to safety. He then finds himself back in Nazi-occupied France again, the two children having time-jumped with him. The two Nazi officers chasing Bill take the children away for execution, and take Bill to a train which ends the segment. Due to the helicopter accident that claimed the life of Morrow and child actors Renee Chen and My-ca Dinh Le, all scenes featuring the children were completely cut, and they do not appear in the film. Bill's original scripted ending was kept in, leaving Bill's character change largely unaddressed and his fate unknown.
As Vic Morrow was waiting to film what would turn out to be the scene that killed him, he allegedly said to a production assistant, "I must be out of my mind to be doing this. I should've asked for a stunt double. What can they do but kill me, right?!" While he was filming Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974), he insisted on having a $1 million life insurance policy before he would shoot any scenes involving the helicopter in which he was due to ride. He was very insistent, and when asked why, Morrow allegedly replied "I have always had a premonition I was going to die in a helicopter crash!"
Vic Morrow's friend and former Combat! (1962) co-star Dick Peabody wrote that Morrow's last words several minutes before the shot took place were "I've got to be crazy to do this shot. I should've asked for a stunt double."
Steven Spielberg ended his friendship with John Landis as a result of an on-set helicopter crash that claimed the lives of Vic Morrow and child actors Renee Chen and My-ca Dinh Le. He said that the fatal accident had "made me grow up a little more," and had left everyone who worked on the movie "sick to the center of our souls." With regard to how the crash influenced people's attitudes towards safety, he said: "No movie is worth dying for. I think people are standing up much more now, than ever before, to producers and directors who ask too much. If something isn't safe, it's the right and responsibility of every actor or crew member to yell, 'Cut!'" George Miller was so repulsed by the entire scenario, he abandoned post-production of his segment unannounced, but filming had been completed and was edited for the film.
William Shatner, at one point, was in consideration to reprise his lead role in the Nightmare at 20,000 Feet segment. He had to turn it down, due to prior commitments. Ultimately, John Lithgow was cast in the role. Years later, Lithgow would star in the TV series "3rd Rock From The Sun" as the alien Dick Solomon, sent to Earth to observe human behavior with three others. Their boss, The Big Giant Head, was never seen until William Shatner guest starred in the role. When he first appears, Solomon asks him how his trip was. Shatner answers, "It was a horrible flight! There was a man on the wing of the plane!" Solomon replies, "The same thing happened to me!"
Carol Serling: As the woman who asks "Is there something wrong?" when the flight attendants knock on the airplane restroom door, holding a copy of Twilight Zone Magazine in her arms. She was the wife of The Twilight Zone (1959) creator Rod Serling.
Bill Mumy: the 7-year-old child in It's a Good Life (1961) of the original The Twilight Zone (1959) plays the adult at the bar who gets angry at Anthony. He was 28 years of age during the filming of this movie.
John Landis: [See You Next Wednesday] Spoken in German when Bill (Vic Morrow) is being shot at on the building.
Andy House: The second assistant director. Second assistant directors work primarily on action scenes, or getting exterior filler shots, and the tragedy on segment one, "Time Out", had everything to do with this "Smithee" credit.